Headlight



Oct 18, 1932 B. B. FORTNEY HEADLIGHT Filed March 12,

Patented 18, 1932 BRAUDIDUS BROOK FOBTNEY, OF LOUISVILLE, QENTUCKY,

assmxon, BY nmnc'r AND HESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO AMERICAN SAFETY HEADLIGHT CORPORATION, A COB- PQEATION OF DELAWARE Application filed Karen 12,

My invention relates to headlights for vehicles and particularly to the type designed to eliminate the glare usually imposed upon the drivers of vehicles or pedestrians moving 15 against the light.

It is my purpose to so construct a headlight of this character that a relatively powerfu light can be employed without imposing any glare whatever upon the driver of an approaching vehicle; and which will project all the light energy, emanating from the light source, upon the road in advance of the vehicle equipped with my improved light. I will describe my inventionin the best form known to me at present, but it will be apparent that same is Susceptible to change in form and proportion, and to desirable additions with the exercise of only ordinary mechanical skill.

With the foregoing and other purposes in view my invention embodies the details of construction and the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and particularly claimed.

In describing my invention in detail reference will be had to the accompanying drawing wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts 1n the several views, and in which v Figure 1 is a vertical section through my improved headlight;

igure 2, a front elevation of my headlight; and

Figure 3, a side elevation of the forward end of an automobile equipped with my'improved headlight and showing the manner in which the light rays are projected upon the road.

With particular reference to the drawing my improved headlight is shown as comprising a body 10, in which is telescoped a reflector 11. The reflector 11 carries at its rear end a source of light in the form of anelectric bulb 12. Mounted in the reflector 11 ad jacent its forward end is ashort focal double convex condensing lens 13. The forward on of body 10 is closed except for an opening 15 having its center in the vertical axis of said forward end, but below the horizontal axis of said end.

1 duit 18 closed at its HEADLIGHT 1928. Serial R0.

Mounted in the body 10 is a partition 16 having a concentrically disposed circular opening 17 of less diameter than the opening Connecting the openings 15 and 17 is a road projector casing in the form of a conical conforward end by a transparent window 19.

Convex condensing lens 13, condenses all of light from source 19. and reflector 11, and converges it within the opening 17 at which point all of the light energy is diverged into road projecting casing 18 and upon the road through window 19. The opening 17 is termed the focalwindow because it is substantially at the point at which the condensin g lens condenses all of the light as described and would be substantially coincident with the focal point of said lens.

It is apparent that owing to the relative positions of the openings 17 and 15 the easing 18 will be inclined downwardly in a forw ard direction and will accordingly cause the diverging light energy to be projected upon the road, the upward diverging rays of light being reflected downward by the casing 18 causing the full light energy from the source and reflector to stri e the road as shown in Fig. 1, with an obvious absence of glare regardless of the volume of the light energy.

The light beam is converged, along the beam lines shown in the drawing, whereupon convergence at the focal point, the beam will be inverted in a divergent beam the outlines of which is shown in Figure 3. The unrefiected portion of the beam diverges below the optical casin is, it is parallel Furthermore vex condensing to the lowest surface. by employing the double conlens 13 and converging all of the light energy within the small aperture 17 I am enabled to utilize all of the light en 7 ergy from the source and the reflector for projection upon the roadway and at the same d time to eliminate all glare of light produced.

It is well known that the general type of headli ht now in use produces an intense lare iiom the source of light and the reflecting points. In my invention it is obvious axis at the same rate as the projector or conduit below the optical axis, that that the glare is prevented by the process of converging all 0 the li ht rays at a small aperture within the boify of the headlight and projecting them upon the road from at source.

I claim r 1. A headlight comprising a body, a .reflector within the body, a source of light located at the focus of said reflector, a lens cooperating with said reflector to converge the rays of light within the body of the headlight, a substantially conical conduit disposed within-said body with the smaller end thereof ad- 'acent the converging point of the rays, the arger'end of said conical conduit being eccentrically disposed below the o tical axis of the projecting system, and inclu ing interior- 1y of the upper interior surface a mirrored reflective surface, said reflective surface bemg disposed in the path of the rays above the optical axis.

2. 1n a. headlight, the combination which includes a reflector and lens. within the body of the headlight arran ed to converge the light from a source to a ocal area within the headlight, a conically formed secondary toflector conduit having its small end concentric with the optical axis of said reflector and lens combination, and'positioned adjacent the focal area of said light, and ward end eccentrically disposed with theoptical axis to extend below the same, said conduit having a reflecting surface at its upper interior portion.

3. In a headlight, the combination which includes a source of light and a reflecting and condensing system arranged to converge the light from a source to a focal area within the headlight, a conically formed secondary reflector conduit having its small end substantially concentric with the optical axis of said reflecting and condensing system adjacent the focal area of said light, and its forward end eccentrically disposed with the optical axis to extend below the same, said conduit having a reflective surface at its interior ortion to direct the light rays inverted a ve the optical axis to below the same.

4. In a headlight, the combination which includes a source of light and a condensing system arranged to converge the light from said source to a focal area within the headlight, a conically formed reflector conduit having its small end concentric with the optical axis of said condensing system adjacent the focal area of said light, and having its forward end eccentrically disposed with the optical axis to.extend below the same, said conduit having a reflecting surface at its upper interior portion.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aifix my signature.

BRAUDDUS BROCK FORTNEY.

having its for- 

